MONTREAL - We’re down to the wire, stressed to the max with last-minute holiday preparations and days away from the turkey-and-gravy-and-stuffing-and-mashed potatoes-and apple pie overload.

For that very reason, I thought for a change this year, we’d take a Zen approach to the holidays.

Instead of polling a dozen dietitians on how best to navigate the holiday stresses and buffets, I thought we’d concentrate on the belief system of one, and one who takes a more holistic approach to all things about wellness.

“Love it up” is the mantra of holistic food and wellness coach Myrite Rotstein.

She’s a big believer that when you love yourself and your body, you will treat it right.

“Your body is a place of truth,” the gentle and softspoken Rotstein told me this month. “When you have a broken heart, you feel it there; when you’re excited, you feel it in your stomach; but your brain, well, sometimes it reminds me of a politician,” she said with a giggle. “It can trick us – like in rewarding ourselves with food excessively over the holidays.”

The first step, she counselled, is to learn to be “in your body, listen to its signals, pay attention, it will help enormously in the long run.”

The more you do that, she said, the more it will help you discern between physiological hunger and emotional hunger.

“When you eat from a place of distraction, like you’re trying to fill a void, then it will never be enough” she explained. “You won’t feel satisfied and the tendency is to keep going, and then you’ll reach that overstuffed, uncomfortable bloated feeling. The trick is to avoid that.”

Often, especially during the holidays, Rotstein said, we’ll encounter “food pushers” – people who pester you to fill your plate and won’t take no for an answer and you end up consuming way too much food, even when you don’t necessarily want it.

“We must learn to take joy in the traditions of the holidays and being with friends and family and focus on that, rather than just on the food.”

And when it comes to the food, take your time and enjoy the foods you don’t normally have, focus on the special things that mean something: Forget the macaroni and potato salad – things you can have any time.

“If you love Aunt Thelma’s roast for instance, which is something you don’t have frequently, have that and enjoy it. Be present, eat slowly and when you’re done, if you’re still genuinely hungry, go back and take a bit more.”

Whatever it is you choose to eat, she suggests we eat slowly and savour each mouthful. “Eat as if you’re a curious child, discovering this food for the first time.”

Rotstein said that she believes the more we focus on being present in any situation, the more we’ll be able to catch ourselves when we are not. “When we take it all in, when we’re mindful, we’ll learn to appreciate the difference between eating mindlessly and eating with intention.”

And she says setting the intention is another good idea.

“Before you hit the party or whatever, set the intention to be mindful, ask yourself how you want to feel after you’ve eaten. Do you want to feel satiated, leave some breathing room instead of being on autopilot?”

And parties are easy places to overload without even realizing it, especially with things like hors d’oeuvres, she said. When people pass by frequently with trayfuls, we often unconsciously pop them in our mouths without thinking. “You can eat the equivalent of a meal,” she said with a laugh. “Better to put them on a plate and visually see what you’re having.”

The holidays are so often more about the food than the connection to family and friends.

“Instead of just sitting around eating and drinking, come up with other ideas to enjoy the company,” she told me earnestly. “Suggest looking through photo albums and reminiscing, or play a board game or even go outdoors and enjoying nature.”

It’s about finding nourishment outside of the food itself, Rotstein said. Often, too, she said, we have to be aware of the triggers that set us off. “Sometimes it can be food, sometimes it’s even people, but when you’re aware and present, you’ll learn to deal with these situations.”

Breathing is a good place to start. “When we’re stressed, we breathe from the chest, but when we’re relaxed we breathe from the stomach,” she explained. “Try it: breathe deeply from the stomach, feel the difference.”

That way, we’ll be Zen for the party she said. “You can better savour the moment. And the pie.”

And on that note, dear readers, I wish you all a happy – and far more importantly – healthy holiday season. May 2012 be filled with joy, happiness and many unexpected, pleasant surprises.

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